This invention relates to a mechanism for supporting an earthworking tool (such as a bucket loader or a rotary cutting head) from a vehicle (such as a tractor or track-laying vehicle).
Existing vehicles, known as "front end-loaders", which may be wheeled or track-laying, are provided with a fixed arm, having vertical movement, which carries a bucket, the bucket being provided with rotary movement for tipping.
It would clearly be advantageous if such a vehicle could be adapted for multiple uses, by having an ability to mount a plurality of tool types for different earthworking operations either above ground (such as trenching, floor/road planing, bankside excavation, spoil loading/tipping) or underground operations (such as the driving of civil engineering tunnels or of mine roadways), with minimum downtime for tool changing operations.
A basic object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism for supporting on a front end-loader an earthworking tool exhibiting improved characteristics over prior art proposals.